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That's it. You've had it with that tatty old stained wall-to-wall carpet and you're finally ready to take the plunge and install hardwood flooring. But where do you start?

There is an almost infinite variety of flooring options, which can cost you anywhere from about a dollar a square foot for a bare-bones doit-yourself project to $60 a square foot for a high-end, professionally installed custom job.

The question is, which one is right for you and your home?

"The first thing we need to find out from a customer is what they're looking for in a floor," says Hans Schaefer, the sales and marking manager for B.C. Hardwood, a 107-year-old Vancouver company that specializes in high-end flooring.

"There are so many variables that it's almost impossible to say, 'This is how much a floor costs.' " Before you start, ask yourself some key questions.

Where is the floor going? Is it the entire house, a high-traffic area, the basement? Each has its own special needs. What is your style? How big is the space? Is the floor going over radiant heat? And what is your budget?

Perhaps the most important question is whether you plan to install it yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Most companies that sell hardwood will install it for you at an additional cost. They will also help you decide what the best solutions are for your home.

You can, of course, buy the hardwood then hire your own contractor to do the job. In either case, a professional can advise on design, has the skills and tools to do the job right, and can overcome any difficulties that might arise.

That doesn't mean you can't do the job yourself if you really want to. As Brookfield points out, "It's not rocket science. And when it's all done and you're sitting back and admiring it, there's nothing like knowing you did it yourself."

You can always improve your skills through classes as well as how-to books, websites and online videos. And if you don't own the right tools, you can always rent them.

After that, Brookfield says, "The key to successful flooring is preparation, preparation, preparation. It's kind of an overlooked part of flooring. Your new floor covering, what it sits on is actually more important than the floor itself."

When you or your contractor rips out that old carpet, what lies underneath is the subfloor. Before you install your new hardwood, be aware that the subfloor has to be perfectly level and dry. If it isn't, you can end up with squeaks, warping and other problems.

When you start installing your flooring, the absolutely essential thing to do is to make sure that very first row is perfectly square to the room and at right angles to the floor joists. Otherwise, you'll get to the end and discover you have a major problem.

"I learned that the hard way," Brookfield says. "I was off by an eighth of an inch. It took me three months to fix, and I ended up tearing it out anyway."

But before you lay down a single strip, you have to choose what kind of flooring you're going to install. And that's not so easy, because there are so many options.

- Solid wood hardwood is usually pre-packaged in narrow strips with a tongue-and-groove design that's easy to put together. Plank flooring tends to be wider, more rustic looking and more expensive.

- Engineered flooring is basically plywood with a top layer of veneer. It costs about a third of the price of solid hardwood, but is harder to maintain and typically won't last as long.

- Resilient flooring, or what Brookfield calls "the peel and stick stuff," can be made of vinyl, linoleum, rubber or cork. It's usually the lowest-cost option and the easiest to install, plus it's comfortable to stand on and can mimic the look of wood or ceramic tiles.

- Laminate flooring is simply vinyl flooring designed to look like wood. It was hugely popular a few years ago, but now many people are replacing it with real hardwood, which is more durable.

Basic woods like oak or pine cost less than exotics like cherry, walnut or the Brazilian hardwoods. How the wood is cut and what part of the tree it comes from also affect durability and cost.

"The nice thing about hardwood flooring is that with just a little maintenance, it can last for generations. And some flooring just gets more beautiful as it ages."

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